Aaron Does PW's Onion Strings

This kid kills me.

Gosh I love him.

What I really love is how he goes in the kitchen, picks up a cookbook,

checks for ingredients, and starts making stuff.

Love it.

I just wait for the goodness.

If this is your first visit today, welcome! There is another post from today under this one, and before I'm bedded down for the night, there will be some pics of Helen with her diaper on.

She's kinda embarrassed.

On to the onion strings! Get the recipe here.

Aaron did all his prep work.

I've let him cut things with the chef knife since he was about 7.

I don't think I knew any better.

He still has ten fingers.

Marmie - "Aaron - Ease of preparation?"

Aaron - "They were very simple, only nine steps."

"Nine?"

"Yessss....nine."

"Well? Did you like 'em?"

" I LOVED THEM. They stayed crispy. I would give it TWO thumbs up."

I, Marmie, would give them two thumbs, eight fingers and all my toes up.

Help me, these were good.

I couldn't get over how crispy they stayed, even when stone cold.

My onion rings always turned to mush.

'Oh, it's a keeper' (you have to say that with a good Minnesota accent)

Check back later tonight to see a chicken in a diaper.

You can't find this kind of entertainment in Hollywood folks.

The Calm Before the Storm.....

This is pretty much me today.

Holed up in the house with yarn.

Didn't dress m'self.

Ate bacon for lunch.

I'm recharging my batteries.

Tomorrow the flour will be flying.

Friday 'it' begins. Ya'll know what I'm talking about.

So it's just a nice quiet day here at the Coop Keeper's.

The girls are quietly laying their eggs, in my garden shed no less.

I overheard them talking today. I couldn't make all of the conversation out, but I did hear 'thankful we aren't turkeys'

A lazy day like this calls for a lazy, soul satisfying recipe.

This is what is in the oven right now....it's so incredibly fabulous that if you make it, your children will thank you, and your childrens' children. Yes, it's that good!

Country Stew

Serves 8 (8 normal people, or 4 if you're like me)

2# beef stew meat 1 T brown sugar

3-4 potatoes 1 t salt

3-4 carrots 1/2 t black pepper

2 ribs celery 1/2 t ground allspice

3 small onions 1/4 t dried marjoram

28 oz can of tomatoes 1/4 t dried thyme

1/4 cup water 1 bay leaf

5 T minute tapioca 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 T Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cut meat into bite-size pieces. Peel and cut the potatoes into pieces a bit larger than the meat. Clean the carrots, celery, and onions, and cut all into 1" pieces. In a large, heavy pan, combine all the ingredients, except the parsley. Bake, covered, for five hours without stirring. Add parsley just before serving.

This does NOT freeze well.

I'm working on a post about the house for tomorrow. I know I left ya'll hanging with the masked man stopping by after we burnt all of his belongings....tomorrow I answer the questions left from that, and show you the kitchen before and afters. Hope you'll stop back by for that.

An interesting side note.....whilst working on this post, I began to receive comments that The Pioneer Woman has Aaron's picture up on her website, from her Chicago booksigning!

Oh dear...first Stubs, now Aaron. How will I live with these egos!

Here is what she had to say, hope it's ok that I cut and pasted....

"Okay, will you please look past my 2-hour-old BRUNETTE dye job and focus in on this dude for a minute? First of all, I thought he was 23 or something. He sad down with all the confidence of a reporter in the field and let me know that he and his colleague were getting ready to start chronicling all the recipes from my book online, one-by-one, and will give each recipe either a thumbs up or thumbs down.

Turns out, he's fourteen years old, and his "colleague" is his aunt, who homeschools him. I've got to sort through and find his URL and will share it with you as soon as possible. He completely charmed my socks off"

You should see Aaron now, he's beaming. Thanks Ree!

The Results Are In.....

Most Popular Poultry - 2009

It was a landslide. Stubs is your favorite chicken!

Should Stubs be unable to fulfill her duties as the Most Popular Poultry, (you know how scandals have a way of finding you), Helen will step in.

(I can just hear you talking now.....'is that chicken in her kitchen....oh my...that's unsanitary'..., well...that is why they make bleach girls)

I'm coming to realize that you just can't put a hat on a chicken. I fashioned a lovely crown for Stubs this morning, but it just wouldn't work. I mustn't give up.

I can't thank you enough for all of your comments! It was so nice to 'meet' some new faces here, and as always to hear from my old friends. I do plan on visiting each and everyone of you...give me a day or two.

I'm starting to think all this attention is going to Stubs' head. This morning she asked me if she could attend the School of the Art Institute in Chicago. I tried explaining that with homeschooling and all I've just not the time to be taking her to the train station, and that it was a long walk from the train station to Michigan Avenue and all...

"I'll do my best" I replied.

Good old Stubs. Can't keep a good woman down.

Ohh...you want to know who won the book too, huh?

I'm happy to say that Jennifer...Captain's Wife won the book! Jennifer has been a long time reader and commenter on the blog, and I'm so happy for her.

Send me an email with your address ok Jennifer?

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go break the news to Stubs that chickens don't go to school, well....in the 'real' world anyway. Maybe I can find her an Art tutor.

All That, and a Pair of Chaps.....Pioneer Woman Book Giveaway is Here!

I'm here, posting the giveaway! I'm so sorry if you kept checking back.

I really need to have a talk with the person responsible for making my daily schedule.

She's absolutely wearing me out!

Meeting all the bloggers and people at the book signing was just as much fun as meeting Ree.

We got to Barnes and Nobles at approximately 1pm. I needed to insure that I got a copy of Ree's book for the giveaway.

There was a man handing out numbers. We were #'s 75, 76 & 77.

The great thing about this was...we could now go shopping and have a place in line!

We were told that at 5pm chairs would be set up for a Question and Answer period with Ree at 7:30, and then the book signing would commence.

The first thing we did was to go to Maggiano's. I got a Chicken Caesar Salad. Big mistake.

More on that later.

We met the CUTEST girls. Everyone was so friendly, funny and creative.

Mother and Daughter sitting in front of me.

Susan, from Susan's Snippets. She really inspired me that night.

This little girl was enamored with Aaron. She couldn't take her eyes off of him.

See what I mean about funny people. That lady was a crack up!

This is my lovely neighbor Gina (on the left) and a gal we met there. I'm sorry I don't remember your name! You were so sweet...and very pregnant.

The crowd thickens.

We scored second row seats in the chairs that were set up!

At approximately 7:30pm I saw this:

Seriously.

It was rather surreal seeing Ree. I really hate admitting how star struck I am over this girl.

Big girl crush.

Lots of admiration.

She seemed genuinely nervous. It made her all the cuter.

After a short Q & A, we got in line according to number and waited. And waited. And waited. When we weren't busy waiting, we waited. I cannot tell you the physical discomfort I was in during this wait. I was hot, and had one of the worst headaches of my life.

And I was burping.

A lot.

And it tasted like hot fish.

I don't eat fish.

It took approximately 2 hours to get the signature.

This picture cracks me up. The woman next to MM looks so bored....

Here's Aaron right before his turn. He was so excited his hands were sweating.

She was so sweet to him, and mentioned how mature he was. She seemed excited that he was a homeschooler.

That is just how she was. So pleasant, so engaging. She took her time with everyone like they were the only one there.

She is a doll.

Here is my lovely neighbor Gina again. Aren't they just the cutest girls?

After we got her 'autograph', we met MM. Oh my. That voice.

He was incredibly sweet and again, seemed like he was just hanging out, and would talk as long as you'd like to.

Of course I asked to photograph his foot. I didn't even try to explain myself.

By this time I was in serious physical discomfort. The room was so hot, I was over stimulated. My head was pounding. All I could taste was fish.

Traumatized in the early 1970's by the masses of dead alewives washed ashore on Lake Michigan, I've never eaten fish.

I love Caesar Salad though. But not REAL Caesar Salad dressing.

This was all I could see in my mind. This is what my mouth tasted like. I could hear seagulls. I could feel the sand in my crotch.

Help.

So that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Now! On to the giveaway!

For your chance to win a signed copy of Ree's wonderful cookbook, you'll need to do the following:

Go to Cottage Instincts, and read the interview with my chickens.

Comment here and tell me which chicken is your favorite and why.

Winner will be announced on Monday morning!

I'm Not Blogging at Midnight....

Isn't that funny, it's exactly midnight as I start this post. Exactly what I said I wouldn't do. I'm beyond tired!

I'm just gonna say this: Ree is delightful. She has a way that totally puts you at ease. I enjoyed her immensely.

Doesn't mean that my hands weren't clammy and that I wasn't about to vomit on her when it was my turn. I managed not to. Standing in line I began burping the Chicken Caesar Salad I had for lunch. I just kept imagining those little anchovy heads. *Gak*

I think she really took a shine to Aaron. Just look at that little face. He was so excited.

More to come later tomorrow......

But for now I leave you with...

Rocketdogs and Ree.

Yes, I have no socks on. I don't want to talk about it!

What Day is It?

I slept like a rock last night! In fact, so much so that I woke up a little disoriented this morning.

I seriously didn't know what day it was. I rolled over and saw 7am on the clock. 7am? What day is this? What day do I get the delight of sleeping in til 7?

Glen was gone. Couldn't be a Saturday.

I decided it was Monday, and that I'd overslept. I ran out and let the girls out, apologizing profusely.

It seriously took me a few minutes to realize that it was Thursday! But not just any Thursday...

it's

Pioneer Woman Thursday!

I'm belaboring over the following in preparation for the booksigning:

Why did I cut my hair?

I should have had a lot liposuction done.

Am I seriously going to stand in line all day for this?

I should have gotten braces.

I should have gone to college. (OK, I think that about everything).

Tell all your friends about it! A signed 'The Pioneer Woman Cooks" will be given away this weekend. All the sordid details of the booksigning, and lots and lots of pictures will be on the blog tomorrow. I think that MM and the boys will be at this signing, so I'll try an get a 'rear' view....nudge nudge, wink wink. I don't foresee getting home before midnight tonight...and I just ain't bloggin' that late.

Speaking of telling your friends all about it....you absolutely have to go to these two blogs. I'm completely humbled, thrilled, shocked, embarrassed and proud that the following two bloggers would feature me on their websites!

First is Cottage Instincts. This girl went to a LOT of work on her post today. She even interviewed my chickens....don't believe me? Check it out.

Thank you Cindy from the bottom of my heart. It was the highlight of my month, that is for sure!

Next is Granny Mountain. Joycee is a doll, and you will love her blog....check it out. Thanks Joycee!

I love blogging. I love the people I meet. I got an email from an 81 year old woman this week that said she is 'jealous' of my life. It reminded of her when she was first married and had a milk cow, a large garden and chickens. She ate her chickens though....*gasp*.

As always, thanks for visiting my little corner of the world. You all make it a better place.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks, Aaron Reviews

Here's the second installment of Aaron cooking his way through the Pioneer Woman's best selling cookbook, "The Pioneer Woman Cooks".

This is a lovely cookbook. If you don't cook, you'd still enjoy this book. Lovely.

We'll be going to Skokie, Illinois on Thursday for a book signing. I'll be having her sign two, and giving one away here on Friday! Make sure you all come back for that! I promise to give you the new one, not the goobed up one I have from cooking.

Jayme: Aaron...give us your review of Simple, Perfect Enchiladas.....

Aaron: I thought that they were good, but not amazing. Marmie thought that they were too salty, but I like things really salty.

Jayme: Were the intstructions easy to follow?

Aaron: In her book the steps go up and down, instead of side to side, and I got a little bit mixed up at times. She did forget to mention where the green chilies were supposed to be added, so I just put them in the sauce.

Jayme: Thumbs up or thumbs down?

Aaron: You will notice in the picture, that my thumb was slightly tilted. It's because I liked them, but I didn't love them. (My thumb is almost all the way down, I wouldn't make these again. Sorry Ree...)

Jayme: Thanks Aaron! What are you going to make next?

Aaron: The Marmalade Muffins

Jayme: Can't wait!

There you have it folks. Aaron's take on Pioneer Woman's 'Simple, Perfect Enchiladas'. Come back for your chance to win an autographed cookbook!

Interview with a Homeschooler

Meet Aaron Snyder. Punk extraordinaire.

He is my nephew.

He is the apple of my eye.

He is 13.

He loves Starbucks.

Your prayers are welcomed.

I thought it might be fun to introduce him to you today, since I speak of him so much. We'll do an interview, to give you his perspective of homeschooling.

Good morning Aaron....let's tell the readers a bit about you.

When will you be 14?

December 19th.

What do you want for your birthday?

Wii Fit Plus, Wii Motion Plus, and the Lego Architectural Series, Frank Lloyd Wright 'Falling Waters'.

How long have you been homeschooled?

About a year and a half.

Who is your favorite teacher? :o)

Of course, Marmie. (Aaron calls me Marmie...it's from Little Women)

Please tell us a little about your public school experience.

Ok, hopefully Mrs. O'Neil doesn't read this.....well in third grade Mrs. O'Neil was a very rude teacher, not so much rude, just very strict. She had me so anxious that I began to pull my hair out. In 2nd grade I had a teacher named Mrs. Pyle that would call the kids losers and make fun of their parents. I liked my other teachers.

How did you do academically in public school?

I was slightly below average.

Why do you think you struggled so much in the public school system?

Between the pressure of getting everything done, and everyone talking, and all of the visual distractions and decorations I found it hard to concentrate.

Do you think you have ADD?

Yes.

Why?

I'm very easily distracted.

What has been your experience with homeschooling so far?

Very fun. I get to show up in my pj's sometimes! I like it because there is more one on one help. You get to read books, snuggle with cats, and I like it that I can spend more time outside.

How do you feel that you've been doing academically since you've begun homeschooling?

I feel like I am doing better, and the lowest grade I've gotten so far is a B+.

What subjects do you enjoy the most?

Gym, Art, & Science

What do you hate to do?

Math and some history.

Do you feel like your missing out on anything being homeschooled?

No, not really.

Elaborate.

I'm still in contact with my friends from school, so I don't miss them. I'm not into sports, so I don't miss that either. I have many friends at church, and I see them a couple times a week.

What don't you miss about public school?

Bullies, possibly getting shot, or being beaten to death by a two by four. The lunch food, I don't miss that. It looked like it could crawl off the tray!

Ok Aaron, I know we are close to Chicago, but do you REALLY think that violence could happen out here?

It is possible, one of the kids at school had to go to the hospital for internal bleeding because he was beat up.

Do you plan on homeschooling through Highschool?

Well, I would like to, depending on Marmie's state of mind.

Hardy har har har.

Do you know what direction you'd like to go in after school is over?

Well, it's between doing hair or architecture.

What are your interests?

I like nature, gymnastics, photography, cooking, and designing houses.

Speaking of cooking and photography, let's show the readers a few of your photos, shall we?

Aaron cooked dinner last night. We received our copy of 'The Pioneer Woman Cooks' from Amazon.com, and Aaron plans on cooking every recipe in the book (except the clammy crap), and reviewing here on the blog (except the clam crap). It's a lovely cookbook. We'll be having her sign our book on November 19th when she's in the area for her book signing.

Last night, he made her "Comfort Meatballs with Creamy Mashed Potatoes, and a Peach Crisp with Maple Cream Sauce." Oh, yum. It was so nice to have him cooking in the kitchen while I was resting my uterus.

We give all of those recipes a thumbs up! You can find them on her website www.thepioneerwoman.com.

Here's Aaron in action:

We weren't able to get an 'after' shot of the food. Blasted time change. It was too dark in the kitchen at 5:30, and we gobbled it up so fast there wasn't time to take a pic!

Here are a few of the pictures Aaron has taken. He really likes photography, and I think he's pretty stinking good at it.

As always, thanks for stopping by our little corner of the world.

It's time for Math now. :-)